


Ripped out of her

by loupgris



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Siblings, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-03-29 05:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3884812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loupgris/pseuds/loupgris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AGE OF ULTRON SPOILERS<br/><i>It all happened so fast. A moment earlier she was shifting and swinging around with ease all over the place, sending robots flying into the air one by one... And in a mere fraction of second her whole world collapsed around her. It all happened so fast but it felt like an eternity.</i><br/>The last moment between the Maximoff twins. What happens when death breaks their bond?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Do you know how it felt?

**Author's Note:**

> This work (and even this note) contains spoilers for the movie Avengers: Age Of Ultron so if you don't want me to ruin everything, stop reading rn :P  
> So I didn't expect to like the twins _that much_ in AoU... but after seeing the movie I **knew** I had to write about them. And yes I have spent days crying over Pietro's death.  
> 

She was dodging a projectile when the feeling hit her. Like a swarm of bullets tearing through her flesh, soon followed by the coppery taste of blood on her tongue.

It all happened so fast. A moment earlier she was shifting and swinging around with ease all over the place, sending robots flying through the air one by one... And in a mere fraction of second her whole world collapsed around her. It all happened so fast but it felt like an eternity.

Her breath caught in her throat and her body froze so violently she nearly fell forward. Something felt wrong, terribly wrong. Her heart started to beat frantically but she stayed in place, eyes glazed, as if time had just… stopped. Like her twin had just did. She could sense that he was no longer running, that his body was completely still, and it felt so unnatural and strange. Something like that couldn’t happen in the middle of a battle. It just couldn’t.

He was in pain, that she could feel too.

Her mind reached out to her brother, surging toward him with far more power than necessary, and his feelings washed over her in a burning wave. Stunned surprise and pain prevailed, but she could also make out a sense of relief underneath it all, as if he had achieved what he meant to do. A new feeling came up when his mind welcomed hers. Guilt.  
She suddenly felt like crying.

The beats of Pietro’s heart were starting to slow down – another odd thing to experience, his body was always running so fast – and cold began seeping deep in her bones when the realization finally dawned upon her, in that strange moment where time seemed to stretch like melting rubber. _No. Pietro!_

One second had been enough for her to grasp all of this and it had been a punch to the guts. The second that came after brought her pure agony when she felt her brother’s mind falter and tremble like the flame of a candle in the wind.

She could feel the link connecting her to Pietro straining, and it was an ache that hurt like no other, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that it held strong, and she found herself begging for it to do so, tears starting to well up in her eyes, _it had to hold on, please, please,_ and she couldn’t breathe she couldn’t breathe she couldn’t… He stopped breathing.

Their thoughts melted together one last time, crying out each other’s names without needing any words.  
She felt it, when his legs gave out.  
She felt it when his body hit the ground.  
She felt the string taut between them snap.  
And then she couldn’t feel anything at all.

Couldn’t hear anything, not even her own scream as she fell to her knees. Without anyone to catch her, because he was _gone_.

Everything was a blur except for the dam in her mind falling apart in a burst of red flames. Power coursed through her whole body and she let it unleash, not caring for a second about whom or what it would hit, everything turning blood red underneath her eyelids. And even when her skin stopped buzzing and the ashes of her enemies vanished, she never stopped screaming.

When the outburst finally came to an end, she felt emptier than she had ever been, but it had nothing to do with the release of her powers.

 

She didn’t move for a long time, doubled over on her hands and knees in the dust of the battle, struggling to suck air into her lungs. It seemed to her that her heart had been torn out of her chest and stood now outside of her rib cage, still pulsing. Right now, heartbreak was far from figurative.

She was trembling like a leaf, silently sobbing at the thought that turned around endlessly in her mind. _He’s not here. He’s not here. I am alone, he’s not here._ And she felt so selfish for thinking this, for allowing herself to feel _alone_ while he was _dead_ , but she was cut in half, couldn’t shake off that void eating at her insides. She just wished her heart had stopped beating along with his.

She didn’t know how long she stayed here wishing for death. What finally made her get up and walk was the thought that she could still take revenge. So she forced her body to move, to go looking for the thing that had taken away from her the only person she had left in this world.

She found it in the wreckage of a train.

She marched towards him, her hands already aflame with a crimson glow.  
She didn’t feel any satisfaction when she looked down at him; only relief to be able to look in the eyes of the creature that was the cause of her loss. She got down on her knees, slowly, like someone approaching a person’s death bed.

When the pathetic scrap heap Ultron had become turned toward her with glowing red eyes, she stared right back, her expression devoid of any pity, eyes lifeless. Then the thing spoke to her, his voice soft, as if she had not come here to tear the life out of him.

“Wanda, if you stay here, you’ll die.”

She could see on his oddly expressive face that he would be genuinely disappointed if she perished – and her powers with her. Had she been able to, she would have laughed.

Instead she answered through gritted teeth, trying her hardest to get the words out of her mouth without falling apart in front of him.

“I just did.”

She gathered what was left of her self-control to ask him, voice thick and yet quivering with hidden tears.

“Do you know how it felt?”

She finally allowed her powers to flow from the tips of her fingers to the inside of his metal chest, gripping what she was looking for and pulling, making it slow, agonizing. He gasped, arching upwards as she tore him open until his heart sprang free and landed in her palm.

She watched the piece of metal now grasped in her hand.  
She wondered if it felt as awful for him as it did for her, but deep down she knew it wasn’t the case.  
She turned her attention back to him anyway, to tell him one last thing.  
Her voice was nothing more than a thin whisper when she leaned toward him, but it was full of venom, of the most vivid hatred she had ever experienced. And yet an unbearable sadness still filtered through each of her words.

She tightened her grip around the ripped out heart lying in the hollow of her hand.

“ **It felt like that.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the first time I've ever posted anything online in English (and only the second time I've posted anything I've written, really) so yeah I hope it doesn't suck too much. You tell me :P  
> I think this will have 2 chapters only, maybe three, but I'm not too sure, maybe it'll be a little longer!  
> I'll find some time between my last exams and all the things I have to do to write the next chapter and will post it as soon as it's done.  
> Anyway. I hope you enjoyed reading!


	2. Battered and hollow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thanks to every single person who’s been kind enough to leave kudos/comments on the first chapter, or simply read it, I’m so happy this little thing managed to hold the attention of a few people :)  
> I said that I would publish the second chapter asap, which in my mind meant a few weeks maybe, after my exams or something… Haha. So much for that huh? Just in case anyone was expecting a second part (who knows, right? :P), I’m so sorry for posting it so late, I don’t really have any excuse, I’ve just been really busy, then too tired, then busy again… yada yada yada.  
> As usual I can’t say that I’m fully satisfied with this chapter but hey, at least I finally finished it!

When the dismantled train wagon started to fall free, Wanda knew that the city was plummeting to the ground. According to plan, the rest of the team would soon overload Ultron’s machine and the landmass she was standing onto seconds earlier would shatter and destroy everything nearby. Wanda included. She wasn’t surprised to find out that the idea sparked no fear within her, not really.

Everything turned to chaos around her, but she just got up and braced herself as the wind whipped wildly against her face. She was ready to be engulfed in the explosion that would surely come soon, but suddenly felt a presence behind her. She turned around, discovering Vision standing at her side.  
Her first instinct was to fight, to stop him from trying to save her because there was no point, but when the robot wordlessly swiped her in his arms she just gaped, forgetting what she was about to say.

She would wonder later why she hadn’t put up much of a fight, for she was more than ready to welcome death and the oblivion that came with it. But the humanoid showed such a fierce determination to rescue her that she was simply unable to make a single move, or utter a word, reduced to silence by his piercing stare.  
She let him carry her away, hiding her face against his chest to shield it from the wind.  
This instinctive movement immediately reminded her of the times Pietro would take her in his arms, and just take off running. Often she would yelp at the sudden acceleration, and she’d feel his chest rumble with laughter underneath her cheek. But his hands would then tighten their grip around her waist, gently, to assure her that he would not let her fall, even if she never really needed the reassurance. She always felt safe in his embrace, with her face pressed against him and her fingers clutching his shirt, breathing in his scent.  
Her eyes filled with burning tears but she refused to let them fall this time.

Vision was flying swiftly through the dust and drifting debris, avoiding every threat while Wanda felt her heart flutter with hope every time a rock or a shard of glass passed a little too close to them.  
They got to the jet faster than she expected.

He landed directly inside it, passing through the wall unflinchingly and making everyone jump upon their sudden arrival.  
Wanda pushed against his biceps when he didn’t let go of her after a few seconds, and he immediately deposited her on the ground. She didn’t even look at him and walked straight through the crowd of people scattered across the room. Some of them were staring at the newcomers with their mouths slightly agape – they had just emerged through the wall without warning, after all – but she didn’t bother to acknowledge them.

Realizing that she didn’t know where to go, she stopped abruptly and turned around. She wasn’t surprised to see Vision standing right here, looking at her expectantly with the look of calm wonder that his face perpetually sported.

“Bring me to him.”

Her voice didn’t sound as firm as she had hoped. The android nodded, and motioned for her to follow. He seemed to understand that any unnecessary word would have been ignored regardless.

Vision led her to a closed door in front of which she stood for a minute. He waited besides her, his silent presence not really comforting, but giving her something to hold onto while she tried to gather some courage.

When she felt stable enough to take a step without feeling like her knees would give way under her, she put her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath, composing herself as best as she could.

The remaining Avengers, battered and bruised, were gathered inside the room. They all turned to Wanda, almost synchronously, when she opened the door.

She walked into the room, carefully avoiding their glances. She had not came here seeking pity, much less excuses. She was here to say goodbye.

“Where is he?”

The silence stretched a few seconds longer than necessary, and she was about to ask the question again, stubbornly, when she heard the door open behind her back. She turned around.  
Hawkeye stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath. His face was a grim mask nonetheless.  
A second person was standing behind him but Wanda didn’t even look at them, frozen in place at the sight of the limp figure that Clint Barton was holding in his arms. A flash of silver-white hair caught her eyes and kept her prisoner.

Time passed, no longer rhythmed by minutes, seconds, not even by the beats of her heart resonating inside her skull. It just went by sluggishly, blurring out her surroundings and leaving in her ears the buzzing sound of white noise.  
She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, so she did the only thing she could she could think of: she reached out with her mind. And almost instantly retracted it like she had been burned.

She didn’t know what she had expected. Usually his mind would have welcomed hers like a familiar visitor, but this time nothing had stirred within the depths of what had been his conscious. He was an empty shell now. Just like her.

She didn’t look at Clint when he approached her, afraid she would jump at his throat if she laid eyes on him. Afraid of lashing out at him in, pouring out her pain and anger into scarlet smoke until his body was nothing but ashes. Because that would have reduced Pietro’s sacrifice to nothing, and she couldn’t have that.

No words were exchanged as Barton led her to a corner of the room. Wanda had started to get used to this eerie silence that seemed to gravitate around her in an aura and catch anyone who dared to approach close enough. That silence made her feel distant and feeble, a little dizzy, even, but that was okay. It was the only thing that kept her from screaming.

Clint deposited the body on the ground. Wanda wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t do this, that her brother would get cold and sore and would certainly bitch about it when he’d wake up. She kept her mouth shut.  
The special agent lingered here for a few seconds, like he had any right to stand close to them like that. Like he wasn’t the reason Pietro was lying here motionless.  
Wanda kept her gaze resolutely fixed on the ground, until the man finally got it. She didn’t want him so close, didn’t need to hear his apologies or condolences. Not when every cell of her being was burning with the need for revenge.

She heard Barton leave, listened absently to the sound of his slow, tired steps fading away. Then she let her eyes wander a little higher, focus on the silhouette lying on the floor in front of her.

He looked so small. That was the first thought that surged in her mind, and it was irrational, she knew it. He had always been lean, yes, but muscular, sturdy. Strong. Certainly not the type of person anyone would qualify as “small” or fragile.

Yet those were the only words that came to her. She tilted her head to the side, trying to reconcile them with Pietro, while she watched the bullet holes that riddled his chest with a strange feeling of detachment.

That’s what made her flinch. Here she was, standing in front of her dead brother, and numbness was the only thing she felt at the sight of his wounds.

She guessed she should be experiencing something else, but it was hard to think when she felt so disconnected. Even her anger had vanished as soon as Clint had turned away.  
Sadness should be prevalent. Pride maybe. Knowing her brother, he had probably died saving someone’s life –Clint’s life most probably. She had understood as soon as she’d seen the guilt that flashed across his features when he appeared at the door. There was no way Pietro would have gotten caught in a hail of bullets if he hadn’t been distracted by something important enough.

But he wasn’t one of them, Wanda thought to herself. Those superheroes surrounding them, they were all willing to give their life away to save complete strangers, already prepared to be remembered for who or what they would die for. No, her brother was not one of them. There was more to him than one act of heroism.

There was his body sheltering hers when everything turned to chaos in the middle of their living room. And then his hand holding her own, his thumbs tracing patterns on her palm during the two longest days of her life, the only thing that had kept her from crying while she read over and over the name “Stark Industries” painted in red on the shell lying two feet away from them.

His body keeping her safe and warm in the cold streets they slept in when there was nowhere else to go, and his hand offering his own food when there wasn’t enough for the two of them.

There was his face dimly lit by candles or street lamps, his smile the most prominent feature in her memory.

His lips kissing her forehead or whispering soft words in her hair the nights she couldn’t sleep.

His fingers intertwining hers, wiping the sweat off her brow, patching the holes in her clothes.

His familiar voice singing to her through the walls of their prison in HYDRA to calm her racing heart.

His arms holding her together when she felt like falling apart.  
There were his eyes looking at her, through her, like he was able to see everything there was to know about Wanda Maximoff and loved her still. He always looked at her as if she was the most important person in the world. Like she made it a better place.

She could see all of this, and so much more, in the body lying still in front of her eyes that had once been her brother and protector.

But now this body was pale and motionless. Hands, face, lips, arms, would never hold, touch, speak, smile, fight or protect anymore. Those eyes were closed forever. They would never see again. He would never…

An overpowering feeling hit her in the middle of the chest, leaving her breathless and teary-eyed. Wanda sank to her knees under the sheer force of it, not sparing a single thought about the fact that anyone in the room could see her break down if they looked her way.

She reached out a hand, putting back a strand of silvery hair that had fallen on her brother’s nose. A strangled cry caught at the back of her throat and she almost choked on it, closing her eyes just for a second before resuming her inspection. Her trembling hands hovered above his wounds helplessly, her eyes taking in the dirt and the dust, the mud covering him in patches, the dried blood on his shirt, the ragged holes in his chest, until she couldn’t take it anymore and had to look away for a second.

The scream that had torn from her throat earlier that day was threatening to break free again. It took all of her strength to push it down, but the effort to keep her pain quiet left her shaking. She took a few shallow breaths and fixed her gaze on the window on the opposite wall, noticing the pale blue sky on the other side. She made herself focus on the vibrations coming from the floor, drawing strength from the pain in her bruised knees, until she finally felt strong enough to look back at Pietro.

 _Please don’t leave me alone here. Open your eyes. I can’t do this without you. Just open your eyes…_  
Wanda silenced the inner voice whimpering pitifully in her mind and blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. If she accepted the fact that he was not going to wake up and to start complaining about the coldness of the floor, or tease her mercilessly until she was either smiling or glaring at him – _Why so gloomy, sister? Главу горе! **(1)**_ – she knew for a fact that nothing in the room would survive her cry of agony.

Wanda lowered her body to the ground and just lay there, facing the closed eyes of her brother, and trying to convince herself that she was only watching over him while he rested for a moment.  
It didn't look like he was just sleeping, not in a million years, but as long as the jet kept flying throughout the too-peaceful sky, she could pretend. She let herself float away.

 

* * *

_**(1)"Cheer up!”** _  
_**(In the movie, the signs in Sokovia –the twins’ country of origin in the cinematic version– are written in the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, and when I used google translate to translate those signs, the language detected was Serbian. Since I can’t translate “Cheer up!” in Sokovian –of course– well, I translated it in Serbian. Or I think I did. I hope google translate didn’t mislead me haha)** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was a little longer than the first one! I don't know if I'll post another one – I think I will but I don't want to promise anything just in case I end up giving up or not having enough time or something like that (I’m on vacation –and posting this from a motel btw – but I have tons of books to read before September and exams to prepare, yay). With that being said, I hope you at least enjoyed that second chapter. Thank you for reading! :)


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